Sliced bacon package



Oct. 30, 1956 J. H. BONlNl SLICED BACON PACKAGE Filed Oct. 29, 1 951.

United. States Patent SLICED BACON PACKAGE John H. Bonini, Appleton, Wis., assignor to Marathon Corporation, Rothschild, Wis., a corporation of Wiscousin Application October 29, 1951,.Serial No..253,615\

2 Claims. (Cl. 229-87) This invention relates to packaging and is more particularly concerned with improvements in a package of sliced bacon or similar merchandise.

ltis an object of the invention to provide'a package of merchandise, such as sliced bacon, which presents a neat and attractive appearance, which facilitates storage and display in the retail store, which adequately protects the merchandise, and which permits it to be readily handled without disturbing the arrangement of the slices or affecting the appearance of the package.

The invention will be apparent from a consideration of the package and the method of forming the same which is shown by way of illustration in the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a package of sliced bacon which incorporates therein the principles of the invention,

Figure 2 is an end elevation of the package shown in Figure 1, and

Figure 3 is a plan view of a backing blank cut and scored preparatory to positioning of the sliced bacon thereon.

In the marketing of sliced bacon it has been conventional to arrange, a plurality of relatively thinv slices of thebacon in overlapping relation on apaper backingor in a package for handling and display in the retail store, a sufiicient number of the slices being associated in this manner to form-a convenient unit package of, for example, a pound or fraction of a pound of the product. Such arrangement of the slices results in. a mass of material of a generally flat rectangular shape which has substantial thickness throughout the center portion thereof and which tapers to a thin edge along the longitudinal margins. Such a mass or unit of the material arranged in this manner presents difficulty in packaging. The shape of the mass makes it diflicult to wrap so as to obtain a neat appearing package in which the slices will be snugly held in their overlapped relation and the ends and side edges thereof will not be disarranged or damaged by handling of the package during storage and sale thereof.

In order to provide a neat and attractive package it is desirable to provide a relatively stiff backing member upon which the slices can be assembled in overlapping relation and a transparent over-wrap applied over the same in such a manner that it will closely conform to the contour of the exposed surfaces of the strips and hold the same in position on the backing member, the overwrap being adapted to be applied by automatic packaging machinery without setting up any stresses or strains in the same.

Since these unit packages of sliced bacon are massproduced and sold at retail in tremendous quantities, it is of the highest order of importance that any possible savings of the material going into the packaging or wrapper be availed of. For example, a saving of even one-quarter inch or less of the paperboard backing material may, considering the tremendous quantities ultimately involved,

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spell the difference between financial mediocrity and success in marketing of the product. My package utilizes the barest minimum of the paperboard backing material, and thus provides a, substantial saving of material, greatly enhancing the chance of commercial success. Also involved is the problem of manufacturing cost of the package, exclusive of the cost of the material going into the package. For example, in the case of most labels or packages made from paperboard, there are certain: cutouts and the like in the blanks from which the package is formed, and the paperboard or other material which isto be cut out must be removed from the manufactured package blank. The removal of this so-called broke, or waste material, is ordinarily accomplished by hand operation, an expensive procedure, and the broke itself must then be disposed of. Also, the operation of removing the broke from the blank, as a result of human error necessarily results in a certain loss due to damaging of the blanks-during that operation, further increasing manufacturing cost. My inventionprovides apaperboard backing in which the cut-outs, and corresponding broke, are kept to a minimum, thereby further reducing the. cost of producing the package.

There is-illustrated in Figure 1 a package which overcomes the difficulties encountered in packaging. sliced bacon or other products of a similar character. The illustrated package comprises a supporting member or body portion 9 on which there is arranged in overlapping relation a plurality of strips of bacon 11 and an overwrap 12-of thin transparent material secured neatly and tightly around the same.

The package is formed from the blank 10 which, as more particularly shown in Figure 3, is generally rectangular in shape and of a size depending upon the number and size of the stripsor slices of bacon or other merchandise to be packaged.

The blank 10, which. is-preferably of paperboard or similar material, is scored along a longitudinal line 13 which is parallel with and spaced inwardly of one longitudinal side edge 21 of the blank, to form a bottompanel or body portion 9 and a side flap-or panel 8 which is adapted to fold about the score line 13, and the blank is cut through-along cut score line 14 which terminates in shortscored hinge lines 15' and 17 at each end thereof to-form an end flap or panel 16. The end panel 16 is provided with a tongue portion 18 adaptedto be received and engaged with slit 19 provided. in side panel 8. As seen in Figure 3', the corner of the blank 10 adjoining panels 8 and 16 is cut away so that side panel 8 and end panel 16 are in length substantially equal to the length and width dimensions of the body portion 9.

In packaging the product a predetermined number of strips of the bacon 11, sufficient to provide the desired weight of material, such as a pound, are arranged in longitudinally extending overlapping relation on the body portion 9, the edge strips having their outer edges extending along the marginal edge 12' and the crease line 13, respectively, of the blank. The side flap 8 is then folded about the crease line 13 over onto the top strip of bacon. The side flap 3 is preferably of a width sufiicient to cover the major portion of the top bacon strip leaving only a narrow margin of the top edge exposed as shown in Figure 1. End panel 16 is then folded about hinges 15 and 17 to bring the end panel into engagement with the adjacent ends of the strips of bacon. Tongue 18 is then inserted into locking engagement with slit 19. The end of the package will then assume the appearance shown in Figures 1 and 2. Inasmuch as the end panel 16 and body portion 9 are made of flexible material and are separated by a completely cut score line 14 extending for substantially the entire length of the end panel, they will flex at their medial portion and conform to the generally curvilinear contour of the bacon slices supported on the body portion 9. Referring also to Figure 2, it will be apparent that my package is sufliciently flexible to provide contour packaging even though the thickness of the bacon strips from package to package varies greatly, with proportionate variation in the height of the end of the package. In the event the bacon packager wishes to pack bacon strips of relatively great thickness, with consequently fewer strips per pound package of bacon, the width of body portion 9 (parallel to cut score 14) may be decreased, with a resultant saving in package cost and without fear of unattractive packaging. If thinner slices are desired, this body portion may be cut wider, but with no necessary change in the contouring end wall construction, and the same attractive package will result. In the actual manufacture of the package, a variety of widths of the body portion 9 are offered, to be selected by the packer in accordance with his needs based on the thickness of the bacon slices packed to make up a given unit, such as a one pound package.

Referring particularly to Figure 3, it will be noted that, assuming (and commercial success proves the validity of this assumption) the desirability of a blank having a body portion 9 and end and side panels 16 and 8, my invention presents a package blank with the barest minimum of waste broke. This broke is only that resulting from the cut away at the corner where panels 8 and 16 meet and that at the locking notch in the end edge of panel 16. The manufacturing advantages and savings previously described are thus achieved to the highest degree.

The outer wrapper 12 is preferably a sheet of thin transparent material and may be folded about the assembled bacon 11 and body portion 9 in any desired manner. The margins of the wrapper may be overlapped and secured to each other on the back of the package or they may be secured to the body portion 9. Advertising matter or decorative labeling may be employed either on the outer Wrapper or on the top surfaces of flaps 8 and 16.

While the illustrated form of the invention has been described with reference to specific packaging materials and a particular product, it will be understood that other materials may be resorted to and that other products may be enclosed in the package.

I claim:

1. A paperboard blank for wrapping a material which is characterized by relatively thin generally rectangular slices arranged in edge overlapping relation to form a generally curvilinear upper contour, said blank being generally rectangular and scored along lines spaced inwardly of a side and end margin to define a body portion and side and end panel portions, the blank being cut away at the corner adjoining the side and end panel portions to provide said portions of length substantially equal to the length and width dimensions respectively of said body portion, the side panel portion being adapted to be folded over the front face of the body portion and the end panel being separated from said body portion along a cut line extending for substantially the entire length of said end panel and hinged only at the ends of said cut line to the said body portion, said end panel being adapted to be folded over the front face of the body portion in substantially parallel relationship thereto and being flexible to conform to the curvilinear contour of such material which may be placed upon said body portion.

2. A paperboard blank for wrapping a material which is characterized by relatively thin generally rectangular slices arranged in edge overlapping relation to form a generally curvilinear upper contour, said blank being generally rectangular and scored along lines spaced inwardly of a side and end margin to define a body portion and side and end panel portions, the blank being cut away at the corner adjoining the side and end panel portions to provide said portions of length substantially equal to the length and Width dimensions respectively of said body portion, the side panel portion being adapted to be folded over the front face of the body portion and the end panel being separated from said body portion along a cut line extending for substantially the entire length of said end panel and hinged only at the ends of said cut line to the said body portion, said end panel being adapted to be folded over the front face of the body portion in substantially parallel relationship thereto and being flexible to conform to the curvilinear contour of such material which may be placed upon said body portion, said end panel and side panel being provided With means for interlocking same.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 667,524 Howard Feb. 5, 1901 1,930,896 Hause et al. Oct. 17, 1933 1,936,076 Unsinger Nov. 21, 1933 2,289,223 Stockstrom July 7, 1942 2,565,976 Mayer et al, Aug. 28, 1951 FOREIGN PATENTS 7,333 Sweden Jan. 27, 1896 OTHER REFERENCES Modern Packaging, July 1951, pages 66 and'67, article entitled Window With a Shade. (Copy in Scientific Library, U. S. Patent Oifice.) 

